Analyzing the Importance of William Regal to WWE's NXT Brand

Before becoming one of the hottest brands in all of wrestling, WWE NXT was nothing more than a convoluted competition show upon its launch in February 2010. It was touted as the "next evolution of television history" and featured the brightest prospects from what was then WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling.

While it was an innovative idea in theory, it ultimately flopped because of its poor execution. It set a precedent for subsequent seasons of the show that fans didn't take seriously, eventually leading to NXT's mass revamp during the summer of 2012.

Triple H is often credited as the mastermind behind the success of NXT, and although that is absolutely accurate, William Regal deserves an equal amount of recognition for sticking with NXT through its tumultuous times and helping shape the brand into what it is today.

Long before he became an on-air authority figure for the weekly television show, Regal was one of the eight seasoned veterans brought in to serve as a "pro" to an up-and-coming star. Despite lacking chemistry with his protege Skip Sheffield (now known as Ryback), he was still an entertaining addition to the show.

As his in-ring career began to wind down, Regal returned to NXT as a color commentator in early 2011 for the show's fifth and final season, NXT: Redemption.

Credit: WWE.com

The premise saw former rookies who initially failed to win contracts come back for a shot at "redemption." Similar to the preceding seasons, the concept failed miserably (and a winner was never crowned), but Regal's quick-witted humor and extensive knowledge of the business on commentary proved he had a future behind the booth.

He worked as an announcer for the program before transitioning into the role of the show's general manager. This lasted until NXT: Redemption finally concluded in June 2012, at which point he went back to doing commentary alongside Jim Ross for the first set of tapings hailing from Full Sail University.

Since then, NXT's stock has skyrocketed, and the British brawler has been there for every step of the journey. As exceptional as he was as an announcer, he was the best candidate to replace John "Bradshaw" Layfield as the new general manager of NXT.

He flourished when he took the reins of Raw in 2008, but this time around, he's a much more impartial character who only gets involved with storylines when necessary and isn't overexposed on the program. Essentially, he's one of the few authority figures in wrestling today who doesn't overshadow the show he's running.

Moreover, Regal's importance to NXT goes far beyond his stints as an on-air personality. He has served as a talent scout for the company for the past several years and has orchestrated the signings of Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami and others.

In the final few years of his in-ring career, Regal's talents were more or less wasted. Regardless of his above-average abilities in the ring and on the mic, he floundered down in the undercard for many years and was never given his rightful due.

Of course, he cost himself a shot at superstardom when he was suspended for 60 days following his violation of the WWE Wellness Policy in May 2008, but the company's use of him upon his return later that year was inexcusable. He deserved better than being a regular on WWE Superstars but thankfully found a home on NXT.

What started out as a potential rib on the former intercontinental champion turned into arguably the greatest thing to ever happen to him during his WWE tenure.

Without his guidance and leadership, it's unknown where NXT would be today. Even now, he continues to bring the brand to new heights, most recently making the call to world-renowned legend Jushin "Thunder" Liger to debut for WWE at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.

With a potential retirement match for Regal on the horizon, it would be extremely fitting for him to close out his career on the brand he helped build. December's TakeOver special has already been confirmed to emanate from across the pond, so there wouldn't be a better place for him to get the proper sendoff he's earned than in his native England.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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